Nasal oxygen cannulas are used to deliver oxygen directly to the nasal airways of a patent to infuse oxygen into the inspirational air flow of the patient. A typical oxygen delivery device utilizing a nasal cannula assembly includes a nasal cannula, a pair of support tubes extending from either end of the cannula, a slide, through which the support tubes pass to tighten the tubing against the patient's neck, a Y-adaptor or manifold connector to divide gas flow between the support tubes, a main supply tubing connected to the Y-adapter or manifold connector and a connector that couples to the oxygen source.
Nasal cannulas are among the most common medical devices in use today, conservatively estimated at several hundred million units annually. Nasal cannulas are widely used in hospitals and surgical centers as well as by patients at home who benefit from long term oxygen therapy. When a cannula is removed from the patient for short periods of time to allow the patient to move about, blow his/her nose, or simply to provide relief from wearing the cannula, it must be hung up or stored somewhere. Often the cannula falls to the floor and becomes contaminated, thus subjecting the patient to an increased risk of respiratory infection when the cannula is reinserted in the patient's nostrils. These patients, especially patients with chronic respiratory diseases, are at an increased susceptibility of developing respiratory infections and suffering severe complications as well as death once doing so. Even a modest reduction in infection rates would correlate to billions of dollars in savings to the healthcare system annually.